Nigeria elections - The African Mirror

Apr

2023

NIGERIA: The court battle to save the elections

NIGERIA'S ruling party has asked the Appeals Court to dismiss a petition by third-placed candidate Peter Obi who is challenging the victory of president-elect Bola Tinubu following a disputed election in February, court documents showed. Labour Party's Peter Obi, who came third in the election, and second-placed opposition People's Democratic Party's (PDP) Atiku Abubakar last month separately challenged the results in court. The two candidates said the results were fraudulent, citing Tinubu, his ruling All Progressives Congress Party (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents. The APC said in a countersuit on Tuesday that Obi's petition should be dismissed on several…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

How Africa’s media covered the Nigeria elections and why it matters

MEDIA FREEDOM

AN OPINION PIECE FOR BIRD STORY AGENCY BETWEEN February and March 2023, Nigerians went to the polls to elect a new President and parliament. This was the seventh national vote since Nigeria's transition from military rule in 1999. With one out of every four Africans being a Nigerian, the country is Africa's largest democracy and the most populous black nation globally. Its population is expected to overtake that of the US in size by 2050 to become the world's second-largest democracy. It's also the largest economy on the continent. Nigeria's new electoral law provided a five-month public campaign period for…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Ahead of Nigeria elections, residents stock-up on food, essentials

NEWS

ABRAHAM ACHIRGA AT a market in Nigeria's northern Kano state customers stocked up on food and essentials, uncertain of the outcome of Saturday's election to choose a new president and lawmakers, in a country where voting has sometimes been followed by violence. Shortages of cash and fuel and the highest inflation rate in nearly two decades have left Nigerians frustrated about the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is not on the ballot after serving the maximum two presidential terms. "We don't know what is going to be the outcome of the election so that is why you see everyone trying to come and…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Bola Tinubu: Nigeria’s kingmaker who wants to be king

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

BOLA Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Nigeria, holds two traditional titles: Asiwaju of Lagos and Jagaban of the Borgu kingdom in Niger State, north-central Nigeria. The titles have similar meanings: leader and leader of warriors. Though he has held these titles for some years, they now bear more significance in the life of Tinubu, a former two-term governor of Lagos State, as he runs for president. Author OLAYINKA OYEGBILE, Journalist and Communications scholar, Trinity University, Lagos Widely believed to be the political kingmaker responsible for the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, Tinubu…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

NIGERIA: Opposition supporters attacked ahead of rally

NEWS

NIGERIAN presidential contender Peter Obi of the opposition Labour Party said his supporters were attacked and injured ahead of a rally in the commercial capital Lagos, a stronghold of the ruling party. Previous elections in Africa's most populous nation have been fraught with violence between supporters of rival parties and a number of instances of political violence have occurred ahead of the February 25 parliamentary and presidential vote. "We cannot continue to tolerate attacks on members of the political opposition, often fuelled by the incendiary rhetoric of political leaders," Obi said in a statement, urging police to investigate. It was not immediately…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Africa’s largest democracy goes to the polls amid rising insecurity

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AFRICA’S biggest election will be held in February 2023 in Nigeria. It’s the seventh successive general election in the country’s 23 years of unbroken democratic government. The election will be a massive operation. An estimated 95 million registered voters will go to the polls in 176,846 polling units across 774 local government areas. A total of 12,163 candidates sponsored by 18 political parties are on the ballot. They are up for election into 109 senatorial districts, 360 federal constituencies, 993 state constituencies, 28 governorship positions, and the office of the president. But there are rising fears that security crises in…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Nigeria ticks some boxes as a democracy. Why this hasn’t translated into a better life for most

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SINCE gaining independence on 1 October 1960, Nigeria has struggled to maintain a democratic government. The election of 1999 offered renewed hope after a series of military coups and periods of generals in uniform running the country. More elections followed over the years. Holding elections is a commonly accepted feature of democracy, along with having an informed electorate and protecting basic human rights. Author ABIODUN FATAI, PHD, Senior Lecturer, Lagos State University My doctoral study explored Nigeria’s (and Senegal’s) progress with consolidating democracy between 1999 and 2012. As a researcher on elections and democratisation, a key question that’s emerged for…